Goodbye, My Almost Prince
by PeaKay
Summary: A rather blue Princess Peach decides one day to run. Run from her friends, the castle, and from the Kingdom itself. Through her tears and the rain, someone helps her. Someone that is almost more than a friend. Peach x Luigi one-shot.


**Something I felt inspired to write. Never did post anything Mario on here. So I decided to try and add a different category to my fanfiction collection!**

**This does feature Peach x Luigi, so people who dislike this pairing ARE WARNED! I like Peach x Mario, but I like the idea of Peach and Luigi being together more for some reason.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mario. Nintendo does. Yeah.**

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* * *

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She had been walking through town. It was her first day home after being rescued from Bowser's clutches.

Again.

She had only managed to thank Mario and Luigi before Mario ran off, leaving his brother and the princess behind. He had others to save. Other adventures to embark on. Luigi brought her back to the kingdom. Her home.

* * *

A toad whispered to a fellow other as she walked by. They didn't see her.

"This kingdom will fall apart if the princess doesn't get proper protection."

"It seems like every week she's kidnapped."

"She's a sweet girl, but is she really cut out to rule the throne?"

"Don't say that! She's done wonders for this kingdom, especially when she's caring for it alone."

"Well, if you ask me, she better toughen up or one of these days, she's going to be kidnapped and won't return..."

Horrified, Princess Peach couldn't bear to listen anymore.

She ran.

* * *

Toadsworth lectured her for what seemed like hours. For the first time, she hollered back. Their voices continued to rise until she stood up. Her voice was venomous.

He said something that he wished he could take back.

Her eyes burned with fresh tears.

She ran into her room.

* * *

Everyone thought the same of her.

Sure, she had a pretty face to look at. She was well mannered, innocent, kind...

...weak, fragile, scatterbrained, useless...

For the fifth time in three days, she cried.

* * *

She left her room.

She refused to speak to anyone: the servants, Toadsworth, foreign guests.

She held her chin up higher, and walked out the entrance.

* * *

The clouds covered the sun. The townsfolk watched, but said nothing. The tears fell quietly.

Her blonde hair whipped in the wind behind her as she picked up speed. Running, sprinted, flying, the word didn't matter. Never had she felt as invincible and shattered before.

* * *

She didn't stop until her legs gave out. Her body landed in the grass with a soft _thud_. Her chest rose and fell with every haggard breath. She laid there. Seconds. Minutes.

She sat up on her knees, daring herself to look back. The kingdom was just a golden speck on the horizon. Yet, she could hear something. She didn't care to investigate what it was. She turned her back on her kingdom just as it began to rain.

The rain hid her tears very well.

* * *

Her shoulders shaking with sobs, she tried to hold them still with her hands. No avail. She sobbed harder.

The silent rain turned into audible _plops_. The rain didn't run through her hair anymore.

Looking up, the princess saw an umbrella over her head. She shifted in the grass so she could see past the umbrella.

A familiar man in green smiled. He sat down beside her.

* * *

"Luigi..."

"I thought you might need a friend, Princess."

"How...how did you find me?"

"I saw you run out of the kingdom crying. I didn't want you to be alone. So, I followed you."

Her gloomy face broke into a smile. "My Knight in Shining Armor." Her blue eyes glanced to his clothes. His clothes were soaked through. "I mean overalls."

Concern laced with his Italian accent. His voice sounded poetic. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she tried to say, but her voice cracked and she began to shake her head. She was crying again. "No, I just...I don't know..."

A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder and brought her closer to the plumber. She enjoyed the warmth. She unconsciously snuggled into his chest. Luigi twitched.

"Uh, Peach?" her humble hero straightened her up. "We should get you back to the castle. You're shivering. Like Mama used to tell me and Mario, 'you'll catch your death of cold out here!'"

It was supposed to make her laugh.

It didn't.

* * *

"I'm unfit to rule here. You would make better royalty than me."

"Well, not me, maybe Mario-"

She released a pent-up sigh of aggravation. "I am sick of hearing praise for Mario! He has done many great things, I owe him a lot, but he's all the kingdom seems to worry about!" Peach quieted herself when she realized how much Luigi looked up to his brother. "I apologize Luigi, I just-"

He held up a hand to stop her. "It's okay. I understand, Peach...really, I do. Sometimes, you really miss the sun when you spend your life in your big brother's shadow."

Compassion for the plumber made the princess forget about her own anxieties and care for her friend's. She pulled him into a hug. He held her tight. The embrace awakened Peach to something she was blind to before. Mario might have got her attention more, or have come to her rescue more often, but there were no personal memories between them. There was nothing concrete about anything they shared.

* * *

It rained harder. The atmosphere grew darker. The skies were stormier.

The hug remained. They remained.

_This_, the crested princess thought. _This is what I should feel._

_This is love._

They removed their arms from each other. She didn't kiss him. He didn't spin her around in the air.

They remained the same. For if they didn't, nothing would be concrete anymore.

* * *

"Will you stop me?"

The question was justifiable. Luigi looked at her mud covered dress, the grass on her gloves, her soaked blonde tresses...

...the faint smile on her face...

"No. Do you want me to?"

Something a gentleman would ask. Peach looked at Luigi, the green umbrella in his hand, the golden speck in the distance...

...she knew that _he_ knew the answer...

"No."

Luigi forced a smile, so that her spirits would be lifted, if only a bit. Peach tried to return one just as big, but the effort was futile. There was no happiness.

Just relief.

And many unspoken feelings.

* * *

The distance grew between them as they stepped further away from each other.

"Goodbye, Peach," said the green-clad plumber. There was much he wanted to add to the farewell, but he swallowed the lump in his throat and walked away.

"Goodbye," said the golden-haired princess. She tilted her head to the side, absorbing every minuscule detail about him before he was too far away to see clearly. Ignoring the downpour, she stood there for a long time, staring.

"Goodbye, my almost prince..."

She turned her back to everything.

She ran.

* * *

**Definitely not my best one-shot, but I love it all the same! :)**

**Hope you liked it!**

**-Kendell  
**


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